Impact of psychological intervention based on root cause analysis on psychological stress and coping modes of patients after radical resection of rectal cancer

Objective To analyze the effects of root cause analysis (RCA)-based psychological intervention on psychological stress and coping modes in patients after radical resection of rectal cancer.

Methods A total of 74 patients scheduled for rectal cancer surgery were randomly assigned to either an observation group (n = 37, RCA-based psychological intervention) or a control group (n = 37, conventional intervention) for a 3-month intervention period. The multidimensional scale of perceived social support (PSSS), Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC), PTSD checklist-civilian version (PCL-C), and medical coping modes questionnaire (MCMQ) were administered before and after the intervention for comparative analysis.

Results Baseline characteristics showed no significant differences between groups (P ＞ 0.05). Post-intervention outcomes indicated that the observation group demonstrated significantly higher PSSS and CD-RISC scores (P ＜ 0.01), and lower PCL-C scores (stress disorder) (P ＜ 0.01) compared to controls. In coping modes, the observation group scored higher in "confrontation" dimension but lower in "avoidance" and "resignation" dimensions (P ＜ 0.01). Postoperative recovery indicators (first flatus time, ambulation time, and hospital stay) were significantly shorter in the observation group (P ＜ 0.01), with no between-group difference in complication rates (P ＞ 0.05).

Conclusions RCA-based psychological intervention can effectively enhance social support, psychological resilience, and active disease coping in post-operative rectal cancer patients, while accelerating recovery and improving quality of life.